Various mechanisms for moving and/or folding seats for motor vehicles have been developed. One type of seat that may be used in Sport Utility Vehicles (“SUVs”), vans or the like includes one or more mechanisms that enable the seat back to be folded down, followed by upward and forward rotation of the seat back and base. Such seats provide for increased space for transporting large objects or the like when the rear seats of the vehicle are not needed.
Although such seats have been widely used due to the need for increased space, known mechanisms may not fully assist the user in folding the seat. Thus, known folding seat arrangements may require substantial input of force by a user to fold and/or unfold the seat.
Electrically-powered folding seats have also been developed, but the electrical actuators and related electrical components tend to be more costly than known mechanical mechanisms. Due to the added complexity, weight, and extra expense, powered folding seats have had somewhat limited acceptance in the marketplace.